A fishy smell in Washington, D.C. 141

Here and here at RedState, Ben Howe writes about the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act (FARRM), better known as the Farm Bill, providing $15 million for more catfish inspection:

The FDA [Food and Drug Administration], which already inspects catfish, needs help [with inspecting catfish]  from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) … It seems that the Agriculture Committee found it too important to America to allow us to be limited to only one gigantic bureaucratic monstrosity regulating catfish.

Howe points out that –

The $15 million price tag far surpassed the $700,000 that FDA spends annually on inspection of all fish. Yes, fifteen times the cost the FDA is currently spending to do the same thing. This is what Republicans and Democrats agreed was too important to slash from their pork riddled Farm Bill. …

Are catfish dangerous if allowed to go uninspected? Apparently not.

All this for a low risk food…

Furthermore, “the Government Accountability Office (GAO) flatly acknowledged” that inspection would likely “not enhance the safety of catfish”.

And finally it is noted that no catfish have yet been inspected.

Some reports are saying that the USDA has spent $20 million tax payer dollars to inspect zero fish and is on track to spend a jaw dropping $150 million over the next ten years.

What is that smell hanging about the federal capital of the USA?

Could it be the stink of corruption?

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For more on how your tax dollars are being wasted, take a look at this “infographic” which graphically displays information on HEALTHCARE FRAUD.

Posted under Commentary, corruption, food, government, United States by Jillian Becker on Wednesday, August 15, 2012

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